After their adventure with the turtles—she still couldn’t believe how close they’d gotten to the surprisingly majestic creatures—Hale had pulled the boat into a quiet cove with a sandy beach for their picnic. Growing up, she’d heard dozens of times about Hawaii being a paradise, but until they’d cut across the water shadowed by the vegetation-covered cliffs, she hadn’t understood what it meant. Sitting on the empty beach with Luke beside her, she got it.
The natural beauty was staggering. Everything was green and she’d never seen so many real flowers in her life. They grew everywhere: alongside the road, in crevices, anywhere their roots could grab hold. But it was the people who put it over the top. Everyone she’d met had been genuine and open and so welcoming. Their friendliness added to the magic of the place. She couldn’t imagine Luke’s project as anything other than a huge success. Who wouldn’t want to spend time on the island? Pushing aside the niggling feeling she got when she thought about work, she tucked her bottle in the sand, shimmied out of her shorts and stretched out on the blanket. She reached for Luke’s hand, twining her fingers with his, and let the sun beat down on her.
She must have dozed off, because before she realized what was happening, she found herself being hoisted into the air and turned unceremoniously over Luke’s shoulder.
“Neanderthal,” she squeezed out when she managed to catch her breath. She straightened her arms so she could smack the hard ass upside-down in front of her. It stung her hands and made a satisfying thwacking sound, but it didn’t slow her husband at all. “What are you doing?”
She didn’t have to wait for an answer. In two long strides, he was in the ocean and in two more, he’d taken them deep enough to dump her in the water. The cold shocked her sun-toasted skin and she let out a girlie squeal, the kind she’d tried to avoid making growing up around construction sites.
“What was that for?” she said between splutters.
“I thought you might be getting sunburned,” he said, appearing completely unrepentant.
“And you thought dumping me in the ocean would help?”
She got her feet under her and stood, grateful that the water was only chest high and the bottom was covered with soft sand. Ducking down so the water almost reached his shoulders, Luke moved toward her, looking like the predator she knew he could be. Something tightened deep in her body, and a heat that had nothing to do with the sun wound through her.
“Not with the sunburn, no.” When he reached her, he pulled her down into the water with him. “But I thought it might stop me from peeling that suit off you and fucking you on the beach in front of God and everyone. I don’t think Hale’s paying attention to us, but I didn’t think you’d want to take that chance.”
Her gaze followed his to the boat anchored a fair distance away but still very much within sight. She swallowed hard. Knowing that Luke wanting her frayed his unbreakable control was one of the world’s greatest aphrodisiacs. Her body responded like he’d called her. She licked her lips, tasting the salt on them, and he grabbed her hips; his fingertips dug into her flesh in a way that made it clear exactly how hard he was fighting for control. Wedging his knees between her legs, he settled her onto his thighs. She felt the long, hard length of him fitted against the vee of her body and rocked into him, eager to get closer. Grateful for the camouflage of the water, she wrapped her legs around his waist and twined her arms around his neck, playing with the wet curls at the base of his head.
“Was I wrong?” he asked, his lips a breath away from hers.
“No, you were right.”
“I fucking love hearing you say that.” He grinned the perfect cocky grin that simultaneously drove her mad and made her want to kiss the turned-up corner of his perfect lips.
“Don’t get used to it.”
“Let’s see what else I can make you say.” Sliding one arm around her waist, anchoring her in place, he wove his hand between them and into the bottoms of her tankini. He didn’t waste time, slipping his fingers over her aching clit and into her eager sex.
“Luke,” she pleaded, not sure whether she meant for him to stop or take her there faster.
“Shhh,” he said, his lips against hers. “If you don’t make too much noise and thrash about, no one will know what we’re doing. Of course, I’m going to do my damnedest to make you scream.”
He hooked his fingers inside her, curling them until he found the place he knew would take her over the edge. Keeping up a steady pressure with his fingers, he used his thumb to rub circles over her clit. She bit her lip to keep from making a sound, changing her mind at the last minute and biting his instead. She scraped her teeth over the plump flesh while he caught her helpless whimpers with his mouth. In moments, he had her hanging on the edge, taking her right up to the start of her climax before spiraling her down again. He knew her body better than she knew it herself and she had no doubt he could hold her on the line between pleasure and pain for hours if he wanted.
“Please,” she said, against his mouth.
She rocked into his fingers, trying to take what she needed, and his hand stilled, denying her the way she knew he would. They’d done this dance so many times she knew all the steps. It didn’t stop her from trying to rush him and it sure as hell didn’t stop her from wanting him to demand her surrender. She’d made an art form out of controlling everything in her life. Surrendering her body to her husband took their lovemaking to a place she hadn’t known existed before him. A hotter, needier, screaming orgasm kind of place.
“Shouldn’t have done that, sweetheart,” he said, looking like he was glad she had. “Don’t move.”
He slipped his fingers from her body, and she was so close to coming; she had to concentrate hard to keep from following his touch. Keeping her gaze locked on his face, she felt his hands tug at the straps holding up her swimsuit and she flinched.
“I mean it, Claire.” The clear command in his voice sent a ribbon of desire through her. “The water covers everything.” He pulled the straps off her shoulder and peeled down the top of her suit, baring her heavy breasts. Without the thin layer of nylon, the temperature of the water was a few degrees colder, and her nipples pebbled tight. “Stay still and I’ll keep you below the surface. Try to rush me, and I’m going to stand up and take you with me.”
The implication of his words hit her and she inched down a little bit lower before freezing in place. She wasn’t an exhibitionist—not exactly. They’d made love in public, but it had been in a club designed for that purpose and no one could have seen what they were doing even if they’d been paying attention. It wasn’t someone seeing her that turned her on; it was more the idea of doing something taboo. Of getting so carried away in his arms that she cared more about her orgasm than following the rules that governed every other aspect of her life.
“Good girl.” He skimmed his hands over the sides of her breasts.
His touch was light, but the water amplified everything, the wake of his fingers following with its own caress. Cupping her breasts, he ran his thumbs over the tight peaks of her nipples and her breath went out in a rush. Watching her, gauging her response the way he always did when he pushed her, he pinched. Hard. Her head fell back and she arched her back, offering herself to him. It had been a long time since he used his hands to demand her body’s response, and she’d missed it.
“That’s it,” he said, tugging and rolling her aching nipples between his fingers. “You are so fucking gorgeous. When I get you home and get my mouth on you, I’m going to keep you pinned to the bed until I make you come with just my lips wrapped around your nipples.”
The breath caught in her throat at his words. He knew exactly how to talk to her to take her closer and closer to the edge. Keeping one hand on her breast, his thumb stroking back and forth over her pebbled flesh, he slid the other hand between them again and back into her swimsuit. His fingertips skimmed over her clit and then he was inside her again, curling his fingers and moving inside her body with a rhythm that drew her climax relentlessly closer. He pressed his palm to her sex, grinding against her the way she needed him to, and her orgasm wound tighter, finally crashing over her in waves of pleasure.
Her body tightened and pulsed around his fingers. Covering her mouth with his, he caught the sounds of her climax while he held her in place, drawing out every last bit of her orgasm.
“I love you,” she murmured against his lips when she could breathe again.
“I love you, too,” he said. “More than I even knew was possible.” He tucked her body into his, pressing her still sensitive breasts to his chest and kissing the top of her head.
There had been a time not so long ago when he couldn’t say the words. Now every time he spoke them, it was as if he was giving her his most precious gift and one only she could hold.
“I love you, too, Claire.”
